Facing increased competition from MySpace and YouTube for the hearts and minds of young people, MTV will launch an ambitious and risky Web strategy, according to Reuters. MTV’s web presence is already 150 sites strong, but the new plan is to build literally thousands more.
[MTV] aims to build Web sites related to every personality and aspect of its shows, hoping to catch viewers wherever they happen to be on the Internet and on mobile phones, [Mike] Salmi [digital president of MTV Networks] said in an interview.
It has created three virtual worlds — Laguna Beach for teenagers, Nicktropolis for children and Virtual Hills for young adults — and says more Web sites can help it go deeper to promote individual shows and personalities.
The move is a risky one for Viacom as it could breed confusion and dilute corporate branding.
…”The goal is hopefully to tie it all together over the next year, and to be far more open,” said Salmi.
…Salmi said the company plans to open up more of its archives, allowing Internet users to take videos and post them on their own sites and also re-edit some clips.
